Far from Home
by Nika8
Summary: After the war Hinata left Konoha for reasons of her own and believes to finally have found happiness far away from her old life. That is, until a series of unfortunate events and the appearance of one very handsome Kazekage disturb her peace of mind once again. (HinataxGaara)


**Prologue**

Hinata was exhausted. She had been walking all day, and the sun was glaring mercilessly down at her. She had thought about staying in the River Country, at least for a little while longer, but no; it wouldn't do. She had tried, but it was simply too close to home. The temptation to go back was too great - but of course that was not an option. There was no home for her. Not anymore.

As always the thought hit her like a kunai and caused a piercing sensation in her chest not unlike what an actual weapon would feel like.

Only this morning she had turned in a new direction – west – as she did every couple of weeks at random. Usually there was no real concept behind the route she chose, she simply went where the wind blew her - but not this time. Her aimless travels had taken her dangerously close to her home land, so she had decided that the best possible move was to run in the opposite direction. To be separated from her loved ones by only a day's journey and still not being able to cover the distance was agonizing. And one day, she knew, her resolve would begin to crack. When the time came, she reasoned, she would better make sure her trip back took as long as possible so she could come to her senses in time to turn back.

She gritted her teeth. There was no point in wallowing in self-pity. _I have chosen this life. It was the right thing to do. No matter how much it hurts, it is the best decision I have ever-_

A scream cut through the air and made Hinata jump. Seconds later she had already scanned her surroundings and was analysing the scene she was running toward, all the while reproaching herself for not paying closer attention to her environment and going for hours without activating her byakugan.

She broke through brushwood and brake, until she finally skidded to a halt next to a motionless boy at the edge of a glade. It was obvious enough what had happened; the boy had tried to climb a tree and fell at least four and a half meter*, judging from the broken branches. His head was bleeding violently and she could detect internal injuries that were quite possibly beyond her.

_First things first_, she thought to herself and turned all her attention to the gash just above his hairline. If she didn't stop the bleeding soon, all help would be too late.

_Pressure! A_ _compression bandage!_ She was fully aware that her first aid kit was yawningly empty, all her resources depleted from occasions like these. She would have to improvise.

She rummaged in her pockets and found a pen, several rubber bands and a package of tissues. She fumbled for a moment and then pressed the pile of handkerchiefs against his already soaked hair. Next she took off the blindfold she had already pushed up to her forehead during her race through the wood and tied it as tightly as she could around the boy's head to keep the tissues in place.

Hinata turned to the still unresponsive boy's torso and unzipped his jacket. Her hands barely touching him, she tried to remember everything she knew about healing. She activated both her byakugan and healing chakra and gave it her best shot. An hour passed before she emerged from her trance. She had done all she could, fixing the most dangerous traumata, setting two fractured ribs right and stopping the internal bleeding. One of his kidneys was still badly bruised, but she was running out of chakra and the other one was in pretty good shape and would be able deal with the toxic substances in his body on its own, at least for a while.

When she finally stood up, she swayed a little, but ignored the nausea and cast her all-seeing gaze around, until she located a small village about 3 Kilometers southwest. There was nothing else in a 7 Kilometer radius, and considering the boys age she was surprised he had come even this far.

Hinata looked down at her little patient, concerned about his lasting unconsciousness and wondered if he could stand to be carried around. But what choice did she have, really?

Sighing, she bent down and picked him up. He was lighter than she had anticipated, but still she stumbeled under the weight and had to regain her balance. The boy groaned and his confused gaze met hers for a brief moment, before his eyes fluttered shut again.

Hinata set out for the village, trying to take as straight a route as possible, which became easier after about a quater of the distance, since the trees grew scarcer and scacer. The ground beneath her feet changed from earth to stone to sand and the air was still unbearably hot, even though the sun was about to settle.

The boy in Hinatas arms grew heavier with every step she took and his weight that had at first made her contemplate sadly when his last meal had been almost overwhelmed her. After what seemed like an eternity she could make out a couple of small houses only a few hundred meter ahead.

As she came stumbling toward the first hut, she tried to shout out to the people who had to be there after all. Her voice was barely more than a croak, but still she was heard. A door opened and a man's head peeked out, who rushed at Hinata the instance he saw the child in her arms. Over his shoulder he called for help and more doors opened.

_Don't let them see your eyes!_She closed her eyelids as he approached, but her head felt fuzzy and she staggered. Despite the voice in her mind, that kept screaming not to do it, she snuck a look at him from underneath her eyelashes. He was tall, with broad shoulders and light brown hair, his face a worried frown as he carefully took the boy from her. She needn't have worried; he only paid attention to the child. She gave a heavy sigh and sank to her knees as soon as she was relieved of her burden. The second man arrived just in time to catch her before she hit the ground face first. Hinata was already fast asleep as she was carried toward a small hut in the center of the village.

xxx

Hinata blinked confused, her eyes focusing on the wooden ceiling above her. Something was wrong, her throat was dry and her head pounded, but that was not what was bothering her.

The face of an old woman appeared, peering down at her "Ah, you're awake."

Hinata snapped her eyes shut, right; no one was supposed to see them. She wasn't blindfolded as usual, but why? And where was she? Who was the woman with the husky voice and kind smile? Suddenly the memories came fludding back; the boy!

A soft sound escaped her, but none of the questions that leapt through her mind was able to pass her lips.

"Finally!" This voice was much louder and sounded younger. Hinata could hear approaching footsteps, while others retreated.

She stirred, trying to sit up.

"Easy there, Obaasan says you are very dehydrated, but there was no getting you awake last night and when we tried to pour water into your mouth you almost choked! Now look at me, just babbling and letting you die of thirst! Here, let me help you!" With that, the woman pushed Hinata up into a sitting position and held a cup to her lips. Hinata drank eagerly, but kept her eyes carefully closed.

"Thank you" she said in a scratchy voice to the woman who made every sentence sound like it ended with an exclamation mark, as soon as the glass was empty and her tounge didn't feel like sandpaper anymore.

"Oh darling, no! We are the ones who are greatful! You brought our Akito* back!"

"Is that the boys name?" Hinata asked dubiously.

The woman laughed "Akio*, actually, but that doesn't suit him half as well!"

"How is he?"

"Still a little deranged, but Obaasan says he is going to be just fine!"

_Thank god!_ Hinata hieved a sigh of relief and lay back, but her host gently pulled her up again and gave her another glass of water.

"So, why don't you tell me what happened? Akito woke up a couple of hours ago, but he's still light in the head and only talks about an angel with eyes like the moon!"

The woman trailed off and Hinata could sesnse a silent communication taking place.

After a few seconds the husky, quiet voice spoke up again. "Ima, why don't you go and check up on Mai and Takumi, see if they need anything."

"Hai, Obaasan!"

With that, the younger woman hurried out and left Hinata alone with the first one.

After a few moments of silence the low voice spoke up again. "You have done a good deed; you have saved our young one from certain death, as I understand it."

"I... I w-was just in the right p-place at the right t-time and did, what everybody would have d-done."

"I see. What is your name, dear?"

"Hinata Hy-" _Not your real name, you fool!_ "masaki", she changed gears mid-word.

"You are blind."

It didn't sound like a question, but Hinata nodded anyway, just in case.

"I usually wear a blindfold, but I had to use it as bandage."

"Ah, well Hinata, I will have Ima get you a new one, if you wish it. I have to go now, but we will talk more later. You need to rest and the sun is rising."

With that, Hinata was alone. She blinked again and activated her byakugan to check for approaching people, but nobody was coming toward the hut she lay in. She took the chance and glanced around - nothing spectacular. The room was small, with a wooden floor and ceiling, simple furniture and a fireplace in one corner.

Fatigue pulled at her eyelashes, until she gave in and sleep engulfed her once more.

xxx

Voices awoke her, angry voices at the door.

"We just want to know what happened! What's wrong with that?"

"Yeah, we have a right to know!"

"Shut up, all of you! Obaasan said the questions have to wait until the gathering tonight, so you will have to be patient! Now scoot!"

Hinata sat up, she could hear discontent murmur and shuffling feet, but no one spoke up again. The door was shut and the woman who had given her water approached the bed.

"Ima, is it?" Hinata asked, as she turned her head toward the sound of steps.

"Yes, darling! Obaasan said you might want this!"

Hinata reached out a hand and her host put an oblong piece of cloth in it. She thanked Ima while she covered her eyes and knotted it securely at the back of her head. She sighed in relief; the fabric covered enough of her face to enable her to activate her byakugan without being betrayed by the veins around her temples.

"You must be very hungry! I'm afraid we can't offer much, the war, you know..." Her voice quieted down at the last words, but after a moment she regained her cheery demeanour and continued "Do you think you can walk to the table?"

"Thank you, you are very kind. I can manage, if you don't mind showing me the way."

"Of course not!"

Carefully she guided the supposedly blind girl toward the table on the opposite wall and sat her down on a chair. The bowl of stew she handed Hinata was still steaming hot and tasted wonderfull, despite being diluted.

Ima waved off her thanks and sat down across from her.

"Go ahead, ask!" The sanguine woman invited her.

When Hinata only cocked her head in confusion, she continued.

"I don't know what Obaasan told you, but it can't have been much, she was barely five minutes in here! You _must_ have tons of questions!"

Hinata nodded, she had indeed.

"How is the boy? Any changes?"

"He is getting better by the hour! Already wants to get out of bed, the scallywag!"

That earned a smile from Hinata.

"Where am I?"

"In my hut, obviously, in a small village at the outskirts of the land of wind, near the border to the Land of Rivers!"

"Oh, I take it I slept in your bed then! I am very sorry for the inconvenience I have caused you."

The woman only laughed at that and told her to carry on.

"Who were the angry people at the door?"

"Villagers, nothing to worry about, they are just a bunch of nosy parkers!"

"What's this gathering you talked of?"

"Obaasan called a meeting tonight at sunset to shut them up, they just can't wait to have their questions answered! You will be asked to join; after all you are the only one who can account for what happened! This way everyone gets to hear it first hand and you don't have to answer the same questions over and over! "

"Obaasan... you mean the old woman I talked to, right?"

"Yes! She is the village's leader and healer. She doesn't even have grandchildren, but everybody just calls her Obaasan anyway. In the old days the official title was Oashisukage, but she put an end to that! Always made her livid, she says she has no more right to call herself a Kage than any of us!"

"Why was the boy so far from home?"

For several moments the only sound was the rustling of fabric, as the woman in her thirties shook her head sadly. When she finally spoke up her voice was quiet, with no trace of her usual enthusiasm in it.

"Akito is a difficult child. He used to be the sweetest boy, but ever since his parents died in that damn war he's been nothing but trouble! Well... who's to blame him? We lost a lot of good people, but nobody's loss has been as great as his. Poor thing, he lives with his aunt and uncle now. Don't get me wrong, they care for him, but they have three children of their own and he's just too much to handle. I think neither they nor he benefit from the arrangement; he causes them quite a headache and they remind him constantly of his loss. He had a baby brother who died too, you know? His cousins aren't really helping the matter."

They sat for some time absorbed in thought, until Ima broke the silence at last. Her ebullience returned, though a little forced, as she continued their conversation.

"Is there anything else you would like to know?"

"What kind of questions do I have to answer at the gathering?"

"I suppose you will be asked to tell us how you came across Akito and what happened yesterday!"

"Will there be... more _personal_ questions too?"

"Not exactly, it is custom to simply ask what happened and let the person decide for themself what they want to share! It is considered rude to ask for details, it they are not to the point! But those gossip obsessed blabbermouths don't always care about civility..."

Hinata nodded, as sign that she understood. She would have to tell these people _something_ to satisfy their curiosity. The trick was to tell enough to be left alone without revealing too much. She would have to lie too, no matter how much she despised the mere thought of it. _Besides, I stand knee deep in lies already, a few more won't make any difference._

Moments later she already condemned herself for the thought. Exactly this kind of attitude was what made a life full of lies and secrets so dangerous! _If you don't watch out, you will lose yourself in all the covertness and half-truths._

She focused on her questions again. "Where will this gathering be held?"

"At the Circle – that's what we call the village square!"

Hinata furrowed her brow. "Why?"

Ima laughed. "Because it's round, silly!"

They passed the next hour with pleasant and for the most part meaningless chat, since Ima did most of the talking. Eventually the women separated again, Hinata deciding to take a nap to shake off the lingering exhaustion deep within her and Ima having important things to do around the village anyway.

Hinata had just settled down when the healer's unmistakable footsteps gave her pause. She set up expectantly, turning to the entrance.

"I'm not interrupting, am I?", the by now familiar old voice asked after shutting the door.

"Not at all, O-", Hinata faltered, not sure what to call her opposite.

"Obaasan is just fine, child. We don't stand on ceremony here." The woman said with an audible smile.

She carried on without waiting for a reply. "I don't mean to alarm you, but in times like these nobody can afford to be coy. And I know a Hyūga when I see one."

Hinatas blood turned to ice, while her mind began to scream. _No!_

"Don't worry, child, I will keep your secret. Please take that blindfold off so we can talk eye in eye."

She fumbled with numb fingers at the knot on the back of her head, prying it off at last.

"Would you like to stay with us?" Hinata could only stare dumbfounded at the old woman, who went on when the girl didn't answer at once. "I have not much time left and the village will need a new healer when I am gone. You seem like a good choice for an apprentice to me."

"Yes!" Was all Hinata managed to say.

"Excellent! I am very happy to hear that. But for this to work out you have to be frank with me."

Hinata nodded. "How much do you know?"

"You are not really foolish enough to think about lying to me again, are you?"

Hinatas laugh was genuine, though somewhat self-deprecating. "No, I just don't want to waste time telling you what you already know."

"Fair enough. It's not much, but I still have to warn you; what I've heard is not pretty."

"B-believe me, there is nothing you can t-tell me I don't already know." Hinatas voice was flat and without any hint of resentment.

"Well... from what I gather your clan enforces a very strict two-class-system that divides the family into a main and a side branch. The worst thing being that children from the side branch are branded with a cursed seal to make them compliant."

"P-precisely." This thime there was a bitter edge to Hinatas voice. "I am – or rather I was - the first-born of the Hyūga clan head, hence the heiress a-apparent. My younger sister, Hanabi, was only spared b-because I was not promising enough. I was the weakling who stood b-between my clan and the strong leader it deserved. It was not u-unlikely that sooner or later something would happen to me, so why spoil the g-good daughter, the successor-to-be? I worked hard, I proved myself and everything ch-changed." Her voice started rising in pitch and volume, until the desperation in it seemed to fill the room from floor to ceiling. "I was esteemed by my father, cherished by my cousin, v-valued by my clan, respected by the whole village and finally, _finally_ recognised by the boy I l-looked up to my whole life! The day I gained everything I ever worked for, I lost everything I ever had." At that, her voice dropped off like it had fallen into the bottomless abyss of her sorrow.

A deadly quiet descended over them like heavy rainclouds.

"You stutter." Obaasan broke the silence after a few minutes of contemplation.

"Not as m-much as I used to." Hinata replied nonplussed.

"We'll still have to work on that." The older woman remarked. With that the topic was obviously concluded for her and she turned to coaxing Hinata to continue with her story.

To avoid being overwhelmed by her feelings again the girl only briefly outlined how her clan's elders had officially proclaimed her the future head of the family after the end of the war. After which she had decided to leave, not being able to live with herself for dooming her little sister to a life in subjugation. Seeing no other way out she had faked her own death during a mission to avoid being proclaimed a missing nin. So she left her home country for good, wandering the lands devastated by the 4th ninja war. Despite being the shortest one in history it had the nations lying destroyed and the people starving in the streets. Disguised as a blind girl with a bandana hiding her telltale eyes she travelled around the last year, trying to provide what comfort and relief she could to ease the guilt she couldn't outrun. Eventually she came to the part where she had come across Akio and patched him up as best she could.

"Thank you for sharing your story with me. I understand you gave me a certain credit of trust and I promise to earn it all in due time." With that Obaasan rose.

"In about an hour there is to be a meeting with the whole village to discuss your situation. Some of them won't be happy about a stranger staying here and try to give you a hard time. But don't worry too much about it; I will back you up no matter what you choose to tell them. Now I will give you some time to compose yourself and send Ima to keep you company for the rest of the time." With that, she was gone.

As promised Ima's head popped in after a few minutes and immediately began chatting happily. She fussed over Hinata and made her drink some more water, talking incessantly all the while.

Usually Hinata wouldn't have minded, but she grew fidgety and eventually couldn't contain herself any longer.

"Can I see Akio? I would like to check up on him."

Ima looked up in surprise at her guest's sudden outburst. "I see no reason why you should be prevented from doing so, but you needn't worry about him, Obaasan takes very good care of him!"

"I'm sure she does, but I would like to go anyway."

"As you wish! We still have half an hour until sunset - that should suffice!"

It didn't take them long to get ready, so they made their way towards a neighbouring, bigger hut.

"I will just wait outside, come back whenever you're ready."

With a quick "Thank you!" Hinata slipped inside.

She stood still as the door closed behind her, then she spoke into the room.

"Hello Akio, my name is Hinata. How are you?"

"You're the girl who saved me!"

She turned toward his voice. "Well, I found you. But I think you have to thank Obaasan as well."

The only answer she received was a "hmpf" sound.

"Can I see your eyes?" He asked, his voice suddenly bright again.

The question caught Hinata off guard, but she recovered soon enough and crouched in front of the sitting child to be level with him.

"Why would you want that?" Or more importantly: Was she really going to break her first rule of self-preservation for a second time today?

"I... I want to know if they really look like how I remember them."

_Oh, to hell with it!_

"Is there anybody around?" The young woman asked in a low whisper.

"No, they are all gone, probably at the circle already." Answered Akio after casting a look around, mimicking her conspiratorial tone.

She considered this for a moment, then nodded.

"Alright then!" She smiled at him as she took off the blindfold and opened her eyes.

He leaned forward in his seat to get a better look, staring intently at those perfect white spheres with the slightest hint of lavender in them. They seemed to glow like moonstones, even in the twilight of the hut.

Hinata examined his face in turn; his hair was brown and shaggy, not blond and spiky, but in his hazel eyes gleamed the same mischievous spark she had seen so often in bright blue ones. Thinking about Naruto hurt, the once sweet notion turned sour in her mind, just as the _could be_ had turned into _could have been_, the possibility of something wonderful now lost forever.

She thought back to her childhood, when she used to watch Naruto struggle from afar, cheering him on silently. She had been too weak to stand up for him then, but she was stronger now. She would make sure Akio didn't have to go through the same thing she was unable to help her childhood crush with. Maybe she could be the inspiration to him that Naruto had been to her.

With that resolution in her heart she rose, more determined than ever to tell whatever lies or truths were necessary to be permitted to stay. She placed the blindfold over her eyes again while she turned and headed for the door.

xxx

*4,5 meter = 15 feet (I'm not quite sure what system to go with, if you have any preferance let me know!)

*Obaasan = grandmother (as I am sure most of you know)

*Akito = little devil

*Akio = glowing/shining boy

A/N: Well, dearest reader, I hope this made some sort of sense to you. It is the first story I have ever published, so any feedback is of course very much appreciated!


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